Fence knob



Patented Mar. 23, 1948 l V FENCE KNOB August F. Toelke, St. Louis County, Mo., assignor to The Alamo Corporation, Clayton, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application January 7, 1944, Serial No. 517,441

15 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in fence knobs. More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in fence knobs and improvements in supports for such knobs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fence knob and an improved support for that knob.

Generally speaking, fence knobs are devices made of a ceramic material, such as porcelain, that has considerable dielectric strength as well as appreciable physical strength. These knobs physically connect but electrically separate an electrically charged strand of barbed Wire and a fence post. That fence post, together with a number of other fence posts, usually defines the limits of a grazing or pasture area in which cattle. sheep, goats or other animals can be permitted to graze. These knobs must possess to a high degree the ability to insulate conductors of electricity from each other, because the voltage impressed on the barbed wire is quite high, and because the fence post may be a good electrical ground. Where the post is made of metal it will be a good electrical ground at all times; and where the post is made of wood it will become a good electrical ground when it gets wet, as it does during a rainfall. These knobs must not only be good electrical insulators, they must have an appreciable physical strength because they constitute the sole means of support of the strand of wire, and they are often subject to rough handling.

In addition, these knobs must be made to have a sizable overall length so they can space the electrically charged wire from the fence post a distance great enough to prevent leakage of current from the wire to the post across the surface of the knob. As a result the knobs are usually longer than they are Wide and may be said to be elongated bodies of insulating material.

These knobs are usually secured to the fence post by a large nail or bolt that extends through the slightly larger bore of the knob which extends through the full length of the knob. These large nails or bolts are highly objectionable for many reasons. Where they extend through the entire length of the knob, their projecting ends are subject to rust and corrosion. This rust and corrosion is only slightly soluble in water, but all too quickly runs down the face of the knob to provide a shorting path for the electricity between the electrically charged wire and the nail or bolt. In many instances this rust and corrosion, coupled with the dust and dirt deposited on the knob, has in a few weeks time 2 utterly destroyed the ability of the knob to insulate the wire from the post. The large nails or bolts are further objectionable because they require the knobs to have a rather large diameter to prevent leakage of electricity from the wire to the nail or bolt. The large diameter of the knob is not only needed to provide the desired amount of porcelain between the wire and the nail or bolt, but it is also needed to increase the length of the air gap between the wire and the head of the nail or bolt. Since the nail or bolt is secured directly to the fence post, and since that post can be a good electrical ground, it is essential that a thick sleeve of insulating material be provided to maintain adequate spacing at all times between the electrically charged barbed wire and the nail or bolt. Since a sleeve of this thickness can only be provided by increasing the diameter of the knob, it is clear that the use of large nails or bolts results in the provision of an unnecessarily large knob.

The large nails and bolts are objectionable for still another reason. These nails or bolts constitute the sole means of support of the knobs and the electrically charged barbed wire secured to those knobs, and therefore the nails or bolts must be quite sizable to have the neccessary strength. Because they are sizable, the nails or bolts may tend to split wooden fence posts into which they are forced. The splitting of fence posts is encountered most often where the knobs are used on posts that enclose temporary grazing areas. Such posts are often made of wood and are purposely made lightweight so they can be uprooted easily; but unfortunately their light weight also causes them to split easily when the large nails or bolts are forced into them. Of course, any such splitting is objectionable because it not only injures the postbut it results in an insecure connection between the knob and the post. The present invention obviates these several objections by providing an improved support for fence knobs. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved support for fence knobs.

The support provided by the present invention is considerably different from the nails and bolts heretofore employed in supporting fence knobs. Instead of extending longitudinally through the geometric axis of the knob as the nails or bolts do, the support provided by the invention preferably extends into the knob for a short distance only. As a result, it is possible to space the support a considerable distance away from the electrically charged wire. Consequently the diamdrawing and accompanying description do not ing material. Such an arrangement isdes'irable because it provides give between the knoband the fence post. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide;an improved support for fence knobs that includes a movable member loosely secured to fence post engaging means. By a movable member I mean a member which'is moved when theinsulating knob is being threaded into assembled position onthe:

support.

wW-here desired; the support can *be made unitar'yzin character. In such cases thesupport may." be =made of resilient material to provide the; resiliency-and fgive that is" so desirable.

- The bolts and-nail'scustomariiy used to support fence knobs. necessitate the provision and use of metal posts or'sizable-wooden fence posts; because small wooden'fence posts splittoo easily when those nails and bolts are used." :This is objectionable because large wooden fence posts are not only moreexpensive but they are much more difficult to set up than are small posts; By using theisupport providedby the present invention,- it l's -possible to use'small wooden fence posts and thereby :dec'rea-se: the'cost ofthe fence" and make it. easy to set up. Small wooden fence posts can be used with the present invention because the support provided by the invention can use a plurality of, :rather than just one, i .post engaging means; 'It isthereforean objectof the present invention to'prov'ideasupport for fence knobs than can use a plurality of post engaging means.

As' these post-engaging,means-Temain in substantially fixed position when the insulating knob is being threadedinto'assembled position on the support they are herein referred to as subs-tantially stationary.

,Wh'ere'the supports for fence knobs are made of metal, it is often desirableto' protect them from theelements. ,Where such protection is 'aiforded, the supports may have a much longer life, and willnot have to be replaced-periodically. The invention prov-idesthis protection by usinga fencekno'b and support therefor that are arranged "so the knobfand the fence post to which it is secured will completely enclosethe support; It is therefore. an object of the present invention to provide a, fence knob and supportt-herefor that cooperate with a fence post to completely enclose the support. a

In actual practice, a fence using these knobs will be quite long and will-,necessi-tateithe provision of large numbers 'of the knobs. This fact makes it imperative that the cost ofthe knobs and the supports'therefor be as -small as possible without. sacrificing the insulating ability -of the knobs. The presentinvention not only decreases the cost of the knobs and the supports therefor but it increases the insulating ability of the knobs andzsupports therefor. The invention does this by providing a knob and support therefor that do not-expose any metal to the elements when the knob and support are secured to a fence post.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fence knob and support therefor that can be made to have a high insulating ability at low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from an examination of thedrawin'g and accompanying description.

-In the drawing and accompanying description preferred forms of the invention are shown and described, but it is to be understood that the limit the invention and the invention will be de 'fined by the appended claims.

ber incorporating the principles of the present invention, H

Fig. 2 is a plan vicw of the movable member shown in Fig, 1,

Figg-3- is a cross sectional view of a fence knob and the support therefor which includes the member shown in Fig, 1,

Fig. 4 isan elevational view of a second form of movable member provided by the invention,

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the member shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of another form of movable member provided by the invention,

Fig. '7 isa plan view of the member shown in Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a unitary support for fence knobs,

Fig. 9 is a broken cross-sectional plan view of a fence knobsecured to one side of a metal fence post, and

Fig. 10 is a broken cross-sectional plan view of the fencev knob secured to another side of the fence post shown in Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a body of insulating material is denoted by the numeral 39. This body is longer than it is wide, and it may therefore be said to be an elongated bod of insulating material. The exterior of the elongated body It! has at least one, and may if desired have a plurality of, circumferential grooves l2 and a circumferential wire receiving recess M thereon. Thegroove I2 is provided to increase the surface distance from the recess id to the fence post l5,

' without necessitating an increase in the overall length of the body Ill; and the recess is is provided to facilitate the securing of a wire to the knob.

It will be noted that in the preferred form of construction shown in the drawing, the knob i=3 does not have a skirt. As a result, there is no problem of mounting the knob in a particular position to avoid the collection of moisture on the inner surface of that skirt. This adds materially to the usefulness of the knobs since they may be set in a vertical or a horizontal position.

An electrically charged barbed wire can be held in recess M We. number of different means, but will preferably be held by a wire or a clamp; either of which is well known to those skilied in the art. The clamp that is used will preferably be of such a construction that the barbed wire can be clamped or released quite readily. This is quite desirable to facilitate the ready uprooting and moving of the fence posts.

As the drawing shows, the recess i5 is spaced away from the post an appreciable distance. Such spacing is necessary because the barbed wire may have a charge of seventeen hundred volts impressed on it, and the knob must prevent the leaking of that charge across to the fence post.

Formed in one end of the elongated body In is a recess l6, I! that does not extend through the entire length of the knob. The recess l6, l1 actually consists of a primary recess l6 and a secondary recess IT. The recess I1 is provided primarily to reduce the amount of material required to make the knob, and it could be dispensed with altogether as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. However, where desired the recess I! can be used to decrease the weight and the cost of the knob.

The recess IS, on the other hand, serves a more utilitarian purpose because it receives and encloses the movable member 26. As a result the recess I6 is the effective portion of the recess l6, IT. The recess I! can be of any suitable conformation and design, but its lower end should be small enough so the shoulder between recess 16 and recess I! will overlie the heads of the post engaging nails 26. Furthermore, the recess I! should not be so large that it unduly weakens the knob.

In making the knob, it is desirable that the effective depth of the recess I6, I! be less than one half of the length of the elongated knob l0, and that the interior surface of the recess be provided with a helical thread l8. Such a construction is highly desirable because a shallow recess can be used with a small support, and a small support is cheaper to make and use. In addition, a small support of the type shown in Fig. 3 can be loosely secured to the fence engaging means 26 to achieve a condition equivalent to a resilient connection between the knob and the post. Such a condition is particularly desirable because it would soften or absorb at least a portion of the stresses that are transmitted to the knob, and would thus diminish the stress transmitted to the fence post itself.

Stresses are frequently transmitted to the knobs when the fence is used to define a grazing area. For instance, the animals placed within the barbed wire enclosure may try to break out, or may kick the wire, or otherwise impress stresses thereon. It has been the experience of those skilled in the art that once an animal has touched the electrically charged wire, it will not again do so; but the animal may place considerable stress on the wire in its initial touching. Such stress must be absorbed or it will immediately be communicated to the fence post. In the same way, stresses impressed on the post must be absorbed or they will be transmitted to the knob. In some cases, these stresses might injure the knob, might dislodge the post, or might loosen the support for the knob. The present invention achieves a desirable absorption of stress by providing a fence knob and support therefor that cooperate to permit the knob to move slightly relative to the post and thereby absorb at least a portion of the stress.

Not only are the knobs subject to stresses caused by animals, they are also subject to stresses caused by the farmers themselves. When the cattle, sheep, goats and other animals have eaten all of the grass or hay enclosed by the fence, the fence posts may be uprooted and moved to another site. This moving entails considerable application of stresses to the knobs merely by the recurrent tightening of the barbed wire. In addition there may be stresses due to the bumping or jostling of the knobs as the posts are uprooted and carried around. Because of the presence of these stresses it is additionally necessary that the knobs and the supports therefor be especially able to absorb considerable punishment without breaking or coming loose from the fence post.

The movable member 20 is a substantially disc shaped piece that is formed as a single turn of a helix. The member 20 has a split in its periphery as indicated by the numeral 22, and has one portion of its periphery formed as the beginning of a turn of the helix and another portion of its periphery formed as the end of that turn. The member 20 will preferably be formed so the periphery thereof will have the same pitch as the thread 8 of the knob and will be releasably engageable with that thread. By reason of this construction, member 2!! can be rotated into the recess and thereby completely enclosed by the knob and post as shown in Fig. 3.

The member 20 should be held against rotation so the knob [0 may be rotated relative to the member 20 to secure the knob to the post I5. In the form of invention shown, the member 20 is held against rotation by post engaging nails 26. These nails are inserted in spaced openings 24 in the member 26 and are carried by the member 20. When these nails are in engagement with a post, as shown in Fig. 3, they completely prevent rotation of member 20. When the nails 25 are forced into the fence post, they should be set parallel to each other so they can permit displacement or limited translation of member 2!] relative to the post. In addition the nails should be set in the post in such a manner that the heads of the nails are spaced from the post a distance appreciably greater than the thickness of the member 29. This permits the disc to be moved into position by rotation of the knob Ill.

The use of a movable member 20 that is loosely secured to the post engaging means 26 is further advantageous because it permits the member 20 to assume the proper position even though the nails 26 are not set properly. For example, if the nails 26 were not exactly perpendicular to the post i 5, the movable member 20 could move relative to the nails 26 and assume a position substantially parallel to the post. This is quite important because it permits the knob to seat itself against the post even though the post engaging means are not set properly.

The openings 24 are preferably made larger than the nails 26 for two reasons. First, to permit the member 20 to move longitudinally of the nails 26 without any hindrance even though the nails 26 are not exactly parallel. Secondly, to permit the member 20 to have a limited movement transversely of the nails 25. This limited transverse movement of the member 20 provides the give necessary to absorb stresses transmitted to the knob.

Tests have been made, with the device illustrated in Figs. 1-3, that prove that a plurality of small nails can cooperate with a holding member to hold as well as, if not better than, a single large nail or bolt. Not only do two nails hold the knob tighter than a single large nail or bolt would do, they are much easier to drive into the post. These posts are usually small, and are hard to hold when a large nail or bolt is being driven into them. Furthermore, the large nail or bolt would tend to split the post.

The exceptional holding power of a plurality of nails 26 in cooperation with a holding member is attested to by the fact that they hold the knob secure although the nails can be made so small that the total weight of member 20 and assassin 7; nails .28 isless than theweight of the. largenails or: bolts nowbeingused. tosupport a knob of: the

head of the nail or bolt may be struck with a hammer without breaking the knob. Such a washer is completely unnecessary where thesupport provided by theinvention is used, and the invention savesthe cost of this washer.

It is additionally desirable to avoid the use of the leather washers because they do-not stand up under exposure to the. elements. For example, under constantexposure to. sun and wind, the washers dry up and tend to. shrink. This shrinkage leaves the knob loose on. the nail or bolt. Even more undesirable is the leaching out of some substance from theleather. and the depositin of that'substance on the surface of the knob. This substance hasbeen found to foster the .creationof a shorting pathacrossthe surface of the knob andto. quickly reduce the in. sulating ability of the knob.

The installation of this knob and support is quite simple. The farmer places themember 20 against the post. l anddrives one of the nails 28 into-the post through one of the openings. 24. The nail should be driven in perpendicular to the face of the post, but if it is not exactly perpendicular it will not prevent proper operation of the member since the member 20 is loosely connected to the nail 26. The other nail is then passed through the-other opening 24 and is also driven intothe post I5.

The nails-do not have to be driven-in the same distance. but the heads of the nails should be spaced from the post IS a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of the member 20. Theheads of the nails also should not be spaced from the post a distance greater than the effective depth of the recess l6, II. This will not however be. a difficult job because considerable latitude is possible in driving the nails into the post.

For example, if the nails are not exactly parallel or ifone of the nails is in farther than the other, the member 20 will still assume the proper position inthe recess Hi. This is largely due to the fact that the member 20 is. not rigidly secured to the post engaging means 26 and can seek its own position.

In Figs. 4 and5. another form of movable memher is shown. This member is denoted by the number 30 and is a disc shaped member that has a square opening 32 therethrough. The ends of the member 30 are shown rounded but they need not be rounded since any form of peripheral portion that will engage the thread. I8 can be used.

Themember 30-is preferably'madethin sothe peripheral portions thereof have a thickness that is less thanthe pitch of the thread l8 on the surface of the recess l6. Where this is done, the peripheral portions of the member 30 can be inserted in a-turn of that thread and-rotated into engagement withthe knob. If desired the member'3ll. may be made of resilient material so thethreadson the knob willcause a twisting of the. endsof member 30 that will cause those.

ends to assume a configuration complementary to-the thread l8.

When the farmer uses the'member shownin Figs. 4 and. 5, he passes the square cut. nail through opening 32. and forces that nail into the post. Thereafter the farmer will cause the thread [8 inthe recess [6 to engage the peripheralportions of the member 38 and thereby move that member into the recess it of the knob. Where the thread 18 is coarse and the peripheralportions of member 38 are rather thin, the peripheral.

portions can be held in the thread lfiwithout bending or twisting. Where, however, the thread in the recess is fine, the peripheral portionsof member 30 must be resilient so they can be.

twisted or bent to lie in a helix. Where this occurs, the member 30 can be threaded into recess it as easily as member 20 is threaded.

In Figs. 6 and 7, another form of knob engaging member is shown. This member is denoted by the numeral 36 and has a drawn or extruded portion 38. The portion 38 projects downwardly from the peripheral portion. 40 of member 36'. The peripheral portion 40 of member 36 is split at 42, and one. part is formed as the leading edge of the helix and another part is formed as the trailing edge of the helix.

The projecting portion 38 is provided with openings i therethroughthat carry post engaging nails. not. shown. W hen the farmer wishes to.

attach a knob to a post, he inserts a nail-in one of the openings i i and drives. that nailintothe post. Thereafter he inserts a nail in the other opening 44. and drives that nail. into the post. Once he has thus securedmember 36 to the post, the farmer. screws knob l3. onto the helical peripheral. portions 45 of member 35.

Onedesirable advantage of .the member. shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is that it permits the nails to be, seated tightly against. the post. In the case of themembers shown in Figs. 1-5, the farmer has to gauge the distance to be maintained between the heads of the nails and the surface of.

the post. That gauging is not a difficult matter and can be mastered by any person after one or two attempts. However the device of Figs. 6 and 7 does obviate the need for gauging; since the. projection 38 will automatically space the peripheral portions dil from the surface of. the post.

In Fig. 8 a unitary support for fence knobs is shown. This support has a substantially disc shaped portion diiwith itsperiphery split at 5!]. Formed on the upper surface of portion 48 is a striking projection 52 that serves to protect the portion 48 from blows by the hammer used to seat the support. Formed on the lower surface of portion la is a square out post engaging. portion 54. The portion 5% may be forced into a wooden post to maintain the disc shaped portion. 68 in fixed position relative to the post. Thereafter, a knob can be threaded onto portion 48. and thereby be secured to the post.

The various figures of the drawing show different knob engaging members that are somewhatdiiferent in detail but are alike in fundamental points. For example the members of Figs. 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 have split peripheral portions that are formed to lie in a helix, whereas the peripheral portions'of the member of Figs. 4 and 5 is plane. The members of Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7 have a plurality of openings to receive post engagingmeans, whereas the member of Figs. 4 and 5 has only a single opening and the member of Fig. 8 has no opening -at all. Despite these differences in detail, the members are alike in the following fundamental points. Each of the members has peripheral portions that are engageable with less than one turn of the helical thread [8 on the knob ill. Ihese portions either lie in a plane or in a helix of low pitch, and as a result they are equivalent to the peripheral portions of a disc like that shown in Fig. 1. Accordingly, for the purposes of this application, a member having peripheral portions that can be threaded into the recess of a knob and will not engage more than one turn of that thread at a time can be said to be substantially disc shaped, despite the presence of projections such as projections 38 in Figs. 6 and '7 and projection 52 in Fig. 8.

Furthermore, each of the members in Figs. 1-8 can be said to carry at least one post engaging means. In the case of the members shown in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7, the post engaging means are plural and are separable from the member, in the case of Figs. 4 and 5 the means is singular and is separable, and in Fig. 8 the means is singular and inseparable. From this it can be seen that various kinds and arrangements of post engaging means can be used. Some may be integral with, and some may be separable from, the holding member; but whether integral with, or separable from, the holding member, the post engaging means can be said to be carried by said holding member.

In Figs. 9 and 10, another form of post engaging means carried by a knob-engaging member is shown. This means consists of a relatively strong wire fill that is inserted through the two openings 24 of the member shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The wire is then bent around the posts as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

In Fig. 9, a T-shaped metal fence post is denoted by the numeral 64 and is set so the member 20 is adjacent one of the projecting edges thereof. Where this is the case, the wire 60 will assume the position shown in Fig. 9 and will permit the knob iii to bear against the edge of the post. In such a case, tightening the engagement between member 20 and knob III will tighten the engagement between wire 60 and post 64. v

In Fig. 10, the member 20 is set adjacent the back of the post. Where this is the case, the base of the knob I 0 will bear against the wire Eli and engagement between the base of the knob and the wire will determine the position of member 20.

Fence post engaging means of the type shown in Figs. 9 and 10 are particularly useful with metal or concrete fence posts. As a matter of fact however, the wire 80 could be used with any kind of post.

By use of the present invention it is possible to provide an exceedingly economical fence knob and support therefor, that is quite rugged and will maintain its insulating ability. It is to be understood that while the drawing and accompanying description show and describe preferred forms of the invention, many changes may be made in the form of the invention without a change in the scope of the invention and the invention is only limited by the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a fence knob and a support for said knob, said fence knob being an insulator of electricity and having a helical thread thereon, said support comprising means adapted to engage a fence post in substantially stationary engagement and a disc-shaped movable member held against rotation by said substantially stationary means and adapted to engage said helical thread on said knob, said movable member being loosely and tiltably coupled to said substantially stationary means, whereby said movable member and said knob can be tilted relative to said substantially stationary means.

2. The combination of a fence knob and a sup port for said knob, said fence knob being an insulator of electricity and having an internally threaded recess therein, said support comprising means adapted to engage a fence post in substantially stationary engagement and a substantially disc-shaped movable member that is capable of limited translation relative to but is held against rotation by said substantially stationary means and is adapted to engage said recess in said knob, said substantially stationary means being formed and dimensioned so one portion thereof can extend into said recess in said knob and so the remainder thereof can penetrate and be enclosed by said fence post, said combination being arranged so rotation of said knob relative to said movable member will cause said recess in said knob to telescope over and enclose said one portion of said substantially stationary means.

3. The combination of a supporting means that is adapted to be secured to a fence post and a fence knob that is adapted to be secured to and supported by said supporting means, said fence knob comprising a body of insulating material, said body having holding means thereon, said supporting means comprising a substantially discshaped member arranged to carry post engaging means, said substantially disc-shaped member being adapted to engage said holding means on said body and thereby maintain said knob in assembled relation with said supporting means, said substantially disc-shaped member requiring to be moved in relation to said post engaging means during the time the knob is being placed in said assembled relation with said supporting means.

4. The combination of a fence knob and a support for said knob, said knob being an insulator of electricity and having a recess therein, a helical thread on the interior surface of said recess, said support comprising a member arranged to carry means adapted to engage a fence post and being movable relative to said means, said member having portions at the periphery thereof of a thickness less than the pitch of said thread, said portions being adapted to releasably engage said thread and to hold said knob in assembled relation with said support, said peripheral portions being arranged to engage a maximum of one turn of said thread at one time.

5. The combination of a fence knob and a support for said knob, said knob being an insulator of electricity and having a recess therein, a helical thread on the interior surface of said recess, said support comprising a member having portions at the periphery thereof of a thickness less than the pitch of said thread, said portions being adapted to releasably engage said thread and to hold said knob in assembled relation with said support, said peripheral portions being arranged to engage a maximum of one turn of said thread at one time, and to be moved during the process of engagement.

6. The combination of a fence knob and a support for said knob, said fence knob being an insulator of electricity and having a recess therein, holding projections on the interior surface of said were? 7 r l l recess, a substantially disc-shaped member arranged to carry means adapted to engage a fence post, said substantially disc-shaped member being arranged to be wholly enclosed within said recess when said knob is in engagement with said fence .post, and to be moved relative to said post engaging means during the time said knob is being placed in engagement with said fence post.

.7. The combination of a fence knob and a suplator of electricity and having a recess therein, said recess having a helical thread on the interior surface thereof, said support comprising means adapted to engage a fence post in substantially stationary engagement and a movable member,

.said movable member being adapted to releasably engage the thread in said recess, said substantially stationary engaging means cooperating with said movable member to hold said movable member against rotation relative to said post and to permit a limited movement of said member away from said post, said combination being arranged so rotation of said knob relative to said movable member will cause said movable member to move away from said post into said recess in said knob whereby said movable member is wholly within said recess When said knob and said support are in assembled relation.

8. The combination of a fence knob and a support for said knob, said fence knob being an insulator of electricity and having a recess with a helical thread on the interior thereof, saidsupport comprising a fence post, means adapted to engage said fence post in substantially stationary engagement and a substantially disc-shaped movable member, said member having peripheral portions that are formed tolie in a helix, said portions being adapted to releasably engage said thread and to hold said knob in assembled relation with said support, said recessed knob cooperating with the fence post to completely enclose the substantially disc-shaped member whenever the knob is in assembled relation with the support.

9. The combination of a fence knob and a support for said knob, said fence knob being an insulator of electricity andhaving a helical thread thereon, said support comprising means adapted to engage a fence post in substantially stationary engagement and a substantially disc-shaped movable member, said substantially disc-shaped movable member having peripheral portions thatare formed to lie in a helix, said portions having a thickness less than the pitch of said thread on said knob, said peripheral portions being adapted .to releasably engage said thread and thereby releasably hold said knob in assembled relation with said support, said peripheral portions being arranged to engage a maximum of one turn of said thread at one time.

10. The combination of a fence knob and a support for said knob, said fence knob being an insulator of electricity and having a recess therein, a helical thread on the interior surface of said recess, said support comprising a member havin peripheral portions adapted to engage said thread in said recess and thereby maintain said knob and said support in assembled relation, means movable relative to said member adapted to secure said member to a fence post and means to space said peripheral portions of said member away from said fence post, said peripheral portions of said member being arranged toengage almaximum of one turn of said thread at one time.

'11. A support for a fence knob comprising a plurality of post-engaging members and a'holding member, said holding member being arranged to slidably engage said post-engaging members, said post engaging members being provided with en- .larged headportions that prevent'the disengagegreater than the thickness of said holdingmemher, said post-engaging members being substantially parallel to permit movement of said holding member relative to said post, said holding'member and said head portions being arranged to beinclosed within a fence knob assembled on said support.

7 '12. The combinationof 'a fence'knob and a support for said knob, said. fence knob being aninsulator of electricity and. having a holding means thereon, said support comprising means adapted to engage a fence post in substantially stationary engagement, a movable member and an opening therein that cooperates with said substantially stationary means to permit limited translation and limited tilting of said movable member'relative to said substantially stationary means while holding said movable member against rotation, said movable member being adapted to engage said holding means .on said knob, said substantially stationary means being formedland dimensioned to permit limited translation of said movable member into and out of engagement with the fence post, said holding means being operable upon rotation of saidiknob to cause translation of said movable member toward and away from said fence post. 7

13. The combination of afence knobtand a support for said knob, said fenceknob being'an'insulator of electricity and having a recess therein, ai helical thread on the interior surface of said recess, said thread extending to the outer end of said recess, said support comprising means adapted to engage a fence post insubstantially stationary engagement, .and .a disc-shaped movsaid body having holdin'gvmeans thereon, said supporting means comprising a substantially discshaped member adapted to releasably engage said holding means on saidbody and thereby maintain said knob in assembled relation with said supporting means, and a plurality of nails that are adapted to project throughoperiingsin the discshaped member and are adapted .to engage the fence post, said openings in the disc-shaped memberbeing larger than theshanks of the nails but being smaller than the heads of the nails, whereby the nails secure the substantially disc-shaped member to the post.

15. The combination of a supporting means that is adapted to be'secured'to a fence "post and a fence knob that is adapted to be secured to and supported by said supporting meansysaid'fence knob comprising a body of insulating material, said body having holding means thereon, said supporting means comprising a post engaging elementand a member thatisadapted to engage 13 the knob and the post engaging element, said member having a portion thereof adapted to engage and be releasably secured to the holding means on said body and having a second portion thereof spaced away from said engaging portion in a direction parallel to the axis of the post engaging element, said second portion of said member being adapted to engage the fence post.

AUGUST F. TOELKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 192,309 Thompson June 19, 1877 240,780 Smith Apr. 26, 1881 255,800 Lewis Apr. 4, 1882 292,982 Browne Feb. 5, 1884 Number Number 20 10,781

14 Name Date Schoonmaker July 7, 1885 Gray Feb. 6, 1894 Keithly Mar. 30, 1897 Grant May 24, 1904 Dunton Oct. 17, 1905 Peirce, Jr June 11, 1907 Ette Nov. 26, 1912 Swartz June 13, 1916 Mershon Sept. 30, 1924 Brookman Aug. 30, 1927 Smalley Mar. 4, 1930 Chance Mar. 24, 19 1 Seguin Jan. 22, 1935 Tinnerman Mar. 4, 1941 Jafia Apr. 13, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain May 7, 1913 

